New Addition
by blackindiaink
Summary: Callie and Arizona prepare to welcome a new addition to their lives.


Title: New Addition

Rating: PG

Pairing: Callie/Arizona

A/N: Written in response to a request on the Callie_Arizona Live Journal community.

* * *

"Hey, come on," Callie yelled across the apartment.

She waited a bit impatiently for Arizona to acknowledge that she had requested her presence in the kitchen. Her heel tapping on the tile was a sure sign that today, she was in no mood to wait. If they were going to do this then she wanted to get going. They had talked it into the ground; pros and cons, care taking, how much time they could devote to the little one they were accepting into their family. It was quite a leap for them to go from being a couple to a family so suddenly. After all, they had only been talking it over for a month. Callie still wondered if they were considering all of the responsibility carefully but Arizona was so hell bent on the idea that she didn't want to disappoint her by voicing too many doubts when she was sure that they would pass.

She sighed as the seconds ticked by and still no girlfriend appeared before her. She reached forward to pick up the watch that Arizona had thrown onto the counter when they had come in the night before. Thirty minutes, that is all the time they had to get to their appointment before it was too late.

She gazed at the large face of the silver watch after she put it back down on the marble counter. Callie smiled when she thought of the quick and careless manner in which Arizona removed the watch each night. It was almost an afterthought, just another piece of her daily routine. The way in which Arizona went about the seemingly inconsequential bits of life was what had Callie so enamored with her . Like the fact that she wore her watch on her right wrist even though she was right handed and most people who were right handed wore their watches on their left wrist so that their dominant hand was used when putting it on. It was cute - she found everything about Arizona cute. She found that she didn't mind feeling like a love sick goon at all... because things were _that_ good.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Arizona said as she rushed out of the bedroom.

She was in the process of putting her earrings on and one foot was only half way in her shoe. Callie sighed at the fetching sight of Arizona limping along in her half shoeless state. She was completely and utterly taken with this woman and it was now quite apparent that it wasn't a feeling that was going to dissipate. She raised one eyebrow while Arizona bent over to rectify the shoe situation.

"Having a little trouble there?"

"Huh," Arizona answered and righted herself, "Um, yeah sorry... I'm ready."

She ran a hand through her haphazard attempt at a hairstyle and finally looked up at Callie. When she saw the adoring expression adorning her favorite face she couldn't help but smile back. She had to wonder what had inspired the look but rather than hold them up any further she let the curiosity pass.

"Ready to go," she asked before moving to gather up her keys and watch.

She slipped the watch on her right wrist and quickly pulled the metal clasp across until it was securely fastened. She looked up a little confused when she felt a hand close over the wrist that the watch lay on. She met intense brown eyes with her own blue and instantly felt five degrees warmer. Her body had clicked into an achingly libidinous condition with little more than a purposeful glance from Callie.

The fingers on her wrist brushed the skin underneath her watch and she swallowed hard. She had never met someone with the ability to turn her on with such simple touches. She waited, enthralled by the combination of the hot gaze burning right into her and the feeling of fingertips dancing across her skin. The suspense briefly waned when she finally leaned forward and lightly touched her lips to Callie's.

Callie slowly released her breath and kept her lips as close as she could without fully committing to a kiss. She loved the effect that it had. She felt Arizona lean toward her again trying to bridge the thin gap between them. Her arms slipped around Callie and eliminated the possibility of escape and finally Callie allowed herself to be properly kissed.

She let Arizona control their pace, giving herself over to the surprisingly forceful will that propelled them into another chimerical felicity of lips and tongues. Callie felt gentle fingers splay across her back feeling the caress as if there was no fabric keeping Arizona's fingers from touching her skin. Time seemed to stop momentarily and each woman felt every sensation combusting in their senses. It all passed by when the urgency of the world outside their embrace came back to them. They separated, gaping at each other and waiting for their breath to catch up to them.

"That was..."

"Yeah," Callie breathed in response.

"We should go," Arizona said.

"Yeah..."

It was the only word Callie could force the left hemisphere of her brain to produce. She watched Arizona put her coat on and place her keys in the pocket. When she looked back at Callie expectantly it was the catalyst needed to snap her into action. They were going to miss their chance at adoption if they dallied any longer.

Arizona held out Callie's jacket in an attempt to make their exit quicker. Callie slipped one arm in and then the other, shrugging it on hastefully. Arizona was already out the door and down the hall by the time she caught up. They rode the elevator down and exited into the lobby with interlocked hands.

The parking deck behind the building was quite empty since it was close to two in the afternoon on a weekday and most of the residents of the building were young professionals who would be dutifully working away at their jobs. It wasn't hard to spot Arizona's little hybrid SUV midway down the lot. For sensibility sake, they usually took it instead of Callie's classic but incredibly inefficient car. She was even in possession of her own spare key to the much more eco-friendly vehicle that Arizona had purchased when she had arrived in Seattle.

They slid into their respective seats and snapped their safty belts into place. Arizona started up the car and backed out of the spot. She pointed to the glove compartment and waited while Callie fished out the dark sunglasses that Arizona wore even when it was a little cloudy. They eased out of the exit and onto the street behind the complex. Arizona kept one hand on the wheel while instinctively reaching out for Callie's hand that was already resting on her thigh.

They reached a traffic light and Arizona's head turned to Callie. The expression she found there was puzzling. Her own brow furrowed up in response and she jumped when a honk came from behind them. Apparently, she had waited just a little too long to step on the gas after the light turned green. Once she was safely into out of the intersection she turned back to Callie, noting that the troubling look was still present.

"Callie are you okay?"

Callie nodded her head absentmindedly and stroked the hand laced with her own with an errant thumb. Inside she was a pool of dubiety and the closer they got to their destination the more her stomach churned. She plastered an unconvincing smile on her face and directed it at her girlfriend in the hopes of not having to explain her worry. It wasn't able to fool Arizona whose attention briskly returned to the road out of necessity.

"Are we ready for this," Arizona asked, quite hesitant to hear the answer.

"Huh," Callie replied, "Oh, yeah of course."

"I mean we've been talking about it for awhile and everyone gave us their blessing," Arizona paused when she noticed Callie wasn't paying her much attention, "I thought we were good here."

Callie blew a heavy breath upward causing her hair to scatter away from her face. She removed her hand from Arizona's grasp and placed it under the blonde hair so that she was caressing the neck underneath. The soothing gesture had a definite effect after a few moments and Arizona felt herself relax despite the fact that her query had gone unanswered. Callie sat still, trying to think through her response.

She was ecstatic that they were moving forward at such a steady pace but this was big for her. She had never gotten around to being responsible to another being besides herself and to top it off they were doing this together. She and George had talked about having children and she was all for that at the time but this situation was a little different. She was ready. She knew that, she really did, but past experience in the area had taught her to be cautious.

"I'm sorry," she started. "I guess I am just a little worried that I'll mess it up and be a bad... parent. I know we're ready to do this and we've read the books and bought all the... equipment necessary but I can't help this nagging feeling that I am going to suck at this, that I will be neglectful or... I don't know kill it on accident. I'm just freaking out a little."

They were already zooming down fifteenth street, that being the street on which their destination lay, so their fate was approaching at accelerated pace. Buildings flew by and the traffic around them was unusually light so it took them mere minutes to reach the turn off. Arizona pulled into the parking lot to her right and found a spot near the path to the entrance. She turned the key in the ignition until the engine was off and after unbuckling her seat belt she pushed back her hair and turned to Callie with determination.

"We... are... ready," she said.

This brief sentence was uttered with such conviction that it forced Callie to turn to face her.

"We've read the books and we have done the research. I know you're worried about our schedules and how dedicated we have to be to our work but we are going to have help and Christina will be there... even if she doesn't want to be really. I mean she does live there," Arizona stopped when she felt herself go off track.

She reached forward and placed her hands on either side of Callie's face. Their eyes locked and she tried to impart her complete confidence in their mutual and independent abilities with just her gaze. One thumb grazed Callie's high cheekbone and she felt her girlfriend's anxiety dissipate with the repetitive motion. She had found through much study that continual and repeated physical contact tended to be the best way to calm Callie down. The cheek she was caressing stretched into a small smile and her own countenance moved in kind.

"Okay, lets do this," Callie said.

Arizona nodded in response and turned to exit the vehicle. They met in front of the car and walked toward the building hand in hand. They stopped just in front of the sign that read, Seattle Animal Shelter. Grinning at each other they took off down the path that lead up to the door.

When they entered the place was buzzing with activity. They noticed on particularly adorable pug mix being lead out on a leash. He wagged his curly tail as he and his attendant passed in front of them. They proceeded up to the desk and the young woman sitting there turned her attention to the couple. A bright smile crossed her face.

"Hi, what can I do for you ladies today," the woman asked.

"We would like to adopt a cat," Arizona answered.

"Oh, that's awesome," I'm Sarah, by the way... If you give me just a second I will take you guys back to the Cat Adoption Room so you can have a look at the cats we have in today."

They waited patiently while Sarah went into a room behind the counter and swiftly returned with an older man. She left him to tend the front and walked around to meet Callie and Arizona. She smiled again as she passed them and they all proceeded through another door to the left and then down a hall.

They reached a glass door with a sign displayed on the wall beside it. It read, Cat Adoption Room. Below that it said, _"Only one cat out of the cages at a time. Do not break up a cat fight - find a staff person immediately."_ Callie chuckled at the phrasing as Sarah opened the door and allowed them to enter. Inside they found twenty cages lined up and stacked on top of each other on each side. Twelve little feline eyes stared out at them begging for a forever home.

"So, were you looking for anything specific," Sarah asked.

"We definitely want an adult," Arizona replied, "We're both surgeons so we have crazy schedules so we want a cat that doesn't need as much attention as a kitten might."

She turned one way and then the next overwhelmed by the cuteness surrounding them. Callie was drawn further into the room and there she found the perfect little kitty, a gray short hair cat with bright green eyes. She read the tag hanging at the top of the cage. "Samantha," Callie whispered.

The cat stared back at her steadily and then left her comfortable kitty bed with a stretch to make her way to the front of the cage. Callie reached out and pushed two fingers through the silver bars. They were met with cottony fur and she instantly melted. When Samantha started to rub her head and face against Callie's fingers she sighed and turned, hoping to direct Arizona's attention to her new friend.

She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again when she saw Arizona leaning her face right into a cage on the opposite side of the room. She was cooing quietly and whispering into the cat inside. Sarah looked from one woman to another and silently congratulated both cats for winning over their respective humans. She had known as soon as they walked in that they were going to be going home with more than they bargained for. She chucked under her breath. Lesbians were always suckers for the felines.

As soon as Arizona had seen the name Seraphina on the card hanging from this cage she knew this was the one. The exotic name reminded her of Calliope and the patches of different colored fur closely resembled the cat she had when she was little. The calico coat was arranged a little differently but the colors and the eyes were almost exactly the same as Sarg's had been.

She reached over and unclasped the lock on the cage. Seraphina climbed toward her and met her outstretched hands with feline enthusiasm. Arizona gathered the cat in her arms and turned around ready to introduce Callie to their new pet. Her grin spread as she met the cat's eyes and she looked up at Callie who was gazing fondly at the pair. She took one look back at Samantha the cat and frowned. It seemed there was a bit of a conundrum.

She walked toward Arizona and reached out to pet the cat in her arms. The tufts of fur glided through her fingers. It was a little coarser than Samantha's fur but still just as lovely. She smiled up at Arizona and pulled her toward the spot she had just vacated down the row. They both peered into the cage and Samantha presented herself in her best kitty fashion. She let out a small meow, stuck her nose into the bars and sniffed in Seraphina's direction. The cats peered at each other from either side of the cage with curiosity.

"Aww, they like each other," Callie said.

There was one solution to their obvious issue and Callie was all about solving problems. She turned her best pout on and directed it at Arizona.

"Can we get them both?"

A stern look passed over Arizona's face as she stroked the gray and tan fur of Seraphina's back. They really had planned on only taking one cat but they had not anticipated the possibility that each of them would gravitate to a different one. The advantages of having two cats instead of one passed through her mind in quick succession and were followed by the negatives. There would be two pets to take care of and they hadn't really cleared getting more than one cat with Christina. She bit her lip and looked back at Callie whose pleading eyes were impossible to turn down.

"I guess they can keep each other company while we're at work," she said.

"That would be perfect actually," Sarah said, "They both tend to get a little lonely if they are left to themselves for too long and they actually stayed at the same foster home for awhile so they are completely assimilated to each other."

Fifteen minutes later they were both filling out the necessary paperwork to take their new pets home. Callie signed the last page and turned her clip board back over to Sarah who immediately began to fill in the sections marked office use. Arizona finished soon after and they waited while the man that had replaced Sarah at the desk when they had arrived brought out Samantha and Seraphina.

Sarah took one disposable carrier in each hand and brought the cats around to meet their new owners for the second time. Each woman took a cat and they walked toward the exit whileSarah watched them from the lobby. Now, they were starting a new journey. Their twosome had become a foursome with twice the fur.

They arrived back at the loft ten minutes later and after adjustments were made for kitty comfort they made their way back into the building. The ride up on the elevator seemed to take forever amid the meowing and shifting that the kitties were doing. The metal doors opened and they walked carefully down the hall. Callie unlocked the door when they reached it and waited for Arizona to enter. She followed and set the cardboard carrier down on the couch beside the other one Arizona had just put there.

"You ready to let them loose," Arizona asked.

"Yep, let's do it," Callie replied.

They each put a hand over the top of a carrier and started to open them at the same time. As the cardboard was peeled away the mewling dropped in volume. Arizona got her's open first and a calico head popped out to greet her new surroundings. Both cats were lifted out of the carriers and put on the floor.

They roamed around exploring the living room, each taking different directions, but they both ended up in the kitchen. Callie moved to Arizona's side and slipped an arm around her slender waist. She placed her head on Arizona's shoulder and both women watched as their new babies started to settle into to their new home.

"Oh crap," Callie suddenly exclaimed, her head shooting up, "We're going to need a bigger litter box."

Arizona smiled fondly at her girlfriend.

"See, you are already a better kitty mommy than you think,"

"Ha, kitty mommy," Callie shot back, "What kind of phrase is that?"

"The perfect one to describe us," Arizona said her smile unwavering.

She was sure that they were both going to be wonderful pet owners and she was proud that they were able to make this long term commitment to their little balls of fur and to each other. Now, all that was left was to enjoy the new company that they had brought into their lives and strive to make the best possible home for the poor little souls that they had taken custody of. She pulled Callie in closer and placed a kiss on her temple. Yep, they were going to be great kitty mommies.


End file.
